Photo Credit: (Shanidev.com)
Police on Tuesday foils the women march toward Shani Shingnapur temple and detains many activists including Bhumata Ranragini Brigade’ Chief Trupti Desai in Supa.
The Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar is the latest flashpoint of conflict between age old Bharat and Modern India over the ban on entry of women in temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
A women’s organisation Bhumata Ranragini Brigade are up in arms against the ban and its hundreds of activists have already departed from Pune with a mission to storm the temple and break the age old custom.
Group of women attempting to enter Shani Shingnapur temple’s sanctum sanctorum, stopped by police on their way. pic.twitter.com/Rj5Fv0Pb4h
— ANI (@ANI_news) January 26, 2016
The determinant activists on Sunday told reporters in Mumbai that if they fail to enter the temple through gate, they will opt for a helicopter and will land directly inside the prohibited area.
“If our move is resisted by the members of temple and the local authorities, then out activists will climb down ladders from a helicopter to offer prayers at the ‘chauthara’ of Lord Shani temple,” said Trupti Desai, president of ‘Bhumata Ranragini Brigade’.
Meanwhile, The Charity Commissioner’s office has already imposed restrictions on the proposed programme fearing damage to property.
“The move by these activists is totally unacceptable. With support from locals we will form a human chain of women to keep the activists out,” said the charity members.
Fearing law and order problem, local police and civil authorities have also imposed restrictions around the temple.
“Prohibitory orders are already issued on assembly of people in the entire district and to make sure that there will not be any law and order situation in the village. We have deployed extra police bandobast and adequate number of female police personnel are deployed in and around the village,” Ahmednagar SP Saurabh Tripathi said.
The campaign and protests to end the ban on women began in November, when a woman entered the open platform to offer prayers. The priests then “purified” the area with milk and oil.